He did, and that’s the entire issue. But instead of letting this get us off-track again, I clear my throat and reply, “So you did. Suggestions?”
“Inconceivable!” Oriel says, his face lighting up as he grins at the shrimp. I arch a brow, not getting it, but the way Kit and Salem look excited tells me this must be something they learned from him.
Slash tilts his head, then nods. “That is acceptable.”
I wait until the others give their agreement, noting that whatever inside joke this phrase comes from is shared only between Kit, the crow, and the panda. Those three are getting awfully cozy, and?—
Damn this fucking envy magic; it’s not greater than my own, but it’s pervasive if I don’t keep my focus sharp.
“Fine. That word will be the signal that one or more of us are being affected by something and we need to wrestle free of it.” That settled, I look at my general, gesturing to the darkness ahead. “Let’s keep going or we’ll never get home.”
The pathwayinto the main area of level seven was long, and we had to pause several times to quell various inclinations of our animals or demons. It was obviously designed to ramp up emotions and supernatural sides as much as possible before guests arrived in the vast chamber we’re standing at the edge of now.
My nostrils flare as they fill with the scent of blood, sweat, cum, and tears so strongly that I have to fight off an immediate shift. Sneering at the sheer amount of screams that echo off the walls, I grit my teeth and face my caliphate. Except for the kid, they’re wearing similar grimaces. As demons, we’re not turned off by the prospect of sex and violence—especially combined—but there’s a current of evil running through the activities going on in this big ass underground coliseum of filth. All my instincts are rebelling against it in a way I’ve never felt before.
“I hate to be a Judgy Judy,” Kit says as he looks at the group of demons and shifters experimenting with violently sadistic bondage toys in a nearby corner. “But that looks painfulandlike the people being whipped didn’t agree to be there. We need to move somewhere else before I think about it too hard, please.”
His voice trembles a little, but instead of commenting on it, I nod sharply. “Slash, lead us away from the posts. Whichever direction you feel is best, old friend, but make this view go away.”
A feral grin takes over his face and I’m not sure if it’s because he’s enjoying the feel of unchecked rage like me, or because I didn’t give his favoritetrainee shit about his shakiness. I’d prefer it to be the former, but somehow, I doubt I’d get my wish if I asked. So I follow him, our pace casual as Slash diverts our path toward what smells like it’s going to be a centurion pit. They’re common in the Wastelands, and it’s not a shock that they’d have one here. I didn’t expect it to be as big as the one we’re now facing, nor packed to the gills with half-naked, beaten supes of various species attacking one another as if their lives depend on it.
Which I’m certain they do because the wrath emanating from that pit is strong enough to make my dragon take notice.
“This is…” Zavida trails off as he scoots up next to me, the soft brush of his tails letting me know he’s struggling. “… barbaric.”
I nod, taking his hand behind the furry appendages and squeezing it. “This is how my line meted out justice in the darkest ages. Prisoners sentenced to death were sent to the Wastelands to be shoved into a pit with nothing but each other and the guards watched as they slowly killed one another, wasted away, became cannibals, etc. Now they use those pits for fights to the death, but not this.”
“KK, don’t. You don’t want?—”
Salem’s voice is filled with worry as the kid elbows his way out of the middle to step up, even with Zav, Slash, and me. His eyes narrow on the screaming, fighting mass of supernaturals tearing one another apart and his lips press into a grim line. “Humans think demons are harbingers of evil. They blame their bad actions on possession or influence from them. But this looks as disturbing as things I’ve seen in history books, and I’ll be damned if we didn’t do this shit ourselves.”
I expected him to lose it—to have one of his panic attacks and retreat into his mind until someone brought him back like usual. But I was incorrect; the demon inside of him is seeping into him more quickly than he’s letting on. Kit prepped us to save him from the ugliness he won’t be able to avoid in this compound, but he’s doing much better than he thought he would.
“Evil is evil, no matter what species it is,” Zav says as he looks at the kid. Shrugging, he jerks his chin at the pit. “There’s always shades darker than what you have seen before. It’s a bottomless well, Kit Kat.”
The shrimp nods, letting out a slow breath as he continues to watch the mayhem as if he’s trying to condition himself not to be revolted. A tremor runs over him, and my lips quirk when I see my Kitsuné reach his other hand out to lace his fingers with Kit’s. I’m certain he’ll pull away and Zav will be hurt, but miraculously, that doesn’t happen.
Things are changing swiftly indeed, and I’ve been too damned full of my own shit to notice.
Start A War
Kit/Kat
The warm hand in mine comforts me and I squeeze Zavida’s palm gratefully. I’m getting used to this gesture, especially since it’s the preferred method of all the guys now. Well, except for Prince Asswad, but I think I’d be so shocked if he did that I’d forget my ‘disguise’ and make weird noises. It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t; I’m definitely not ready to accept anything resembling kindness in physical form from him.
But everyone else is okay, and that helps me ignore the bloody bodies more easily.
“You’re right, Zav,” I say absently. “And it doesn’t have to take this form for it to be just as terrible. This is just less subtle and more aligned with what people think is ‘acceptable’ evil.”
Jasper arches a brow at me, his expression curious. “Acceptable evil?”
I snort, shaking my head. “If you think people on the surface aren’t paying to watch desperate beings kill one another for sport, you’re seriously deluded. The rich fucks in the one percent up there have been slowly revealed as rotten to the core in ways the populace didn’t expect in the past few years. I don’t know if it started with realizing half our country wasn’t worried if millions died with the virus or what, but it’s pretty gross up there, too.”
“Denizens of our realm have been working overtime, my father says.” Slashnods, tilting his head at the writhing mass of new contestants in the ring. “The little demon is correct.”
“On that note…” X winks at me, their eyes full of understanding about how much control it’s taking me to keep myself level right now. “We should keep moving. I’m afraid if we don’t, someone will notice that the big guy?—”
He’s cut off by a high-pitched yelp as the wolf shifter in the ring falls to the Minotaur. The crowd around us roars in approval, making the area echo with various sounds I can’t assign to specific supernaturals. It’s like I’m stuck by the fucking pit on Tattooine and instead of aliens, I’ve got all these demons and beasts surrounding me. The absolutely useless demon who is pretending to referee the match yells something I don’t quite catch, but a wave of on-lookers part for him.
